Student Debt and its impact

The impact of student debt can go far beyond the duration of the loan repayment. In fact, more and more 30, 40 and 50 year olds are finding student debt is holding them back from some of life’s major milestones including purchasing a home, getting married and even retiring.

According to a 2012 online web survey conducted by ACCC, over 35 percent of respondents reported that they have had to delay saving for retirement because of their student debt, while 27 percent also reported that their ability to buy a car has been impacted, and 29 percent said it has affected their ability to buy a house. Nine percent of respondents said student loan debt has even impacted their ability to get married.

It isn’t just young Americans who are feeling the burden of student loan debt. Of the 241 consumers polled, 21 percent of the respondents were aged 33-40, while 39 percent of respondents were aged 41-55.

Student debt not only affects you in your 20s, but can also linger until retirement age. In the first quarter of 2012, about 2.2 million people over the age of 60 still held student loans, which includes those borrowed for their own education or for their children’s and grandchildren’s. Repaying student loans exacerbates an already dismal situation for almost half of people ages 48 to 64, who won’t be able to save enough to pay for their basic needs during retirement.